


I Wanna Dance With Somebody

by lovinglohst



Series: I Wanna Dance With Somebody [1]
Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: (The Authors Know Nothing About Video Games Whoops), An Absurd Amount of Mountain Dew Flavors, Aromantic Asexual Christine Canigula, Background Relationships, Bisexual Brooke Lohst, Bisexual Jeremy Heere, Brooke Is A BAMF, Christine Just Really Loves Play Rehearsal, F/F, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Gay Michael Mell, How Do I Tag, Jealousy, Jenna Rolan Is A Stalker, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Seriously There's So Many, Tags May Change, Teen Angst, The SQUIP Is A Fucking Mess, video games - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-25
Updated: 2018-09-14
Packaged: 2019-06-30 13:32:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15752694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovinglohst/pseuds/lovinglohst
Summary: On the night of the Halloween Party, Michael is about halfway through having his infamous panic attack when Brooke comes tumbling into the bathroom, in the middle of her very own teenage angst. Michael lets her stay and the two sit in the bathtub and bond over their anger at their friends/super-mega-crushes. That’s when they get the idea to start fake dating to both get back at Jeremy and Chloe and win them over. Chaos, bonding, and gay ensue.





	1. Part I

## Prelude: [Gonna Get Over You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hny1prRDE3I)

_\- Sara Barellies, Kaleidoscope EP_

 

 

_**"** I've got a thick tongue_  
_Brimming with the words that go unsung_  
_I simmer, then I burn for someone_  
_The wrong one_

_I tell myself to let the story end, oh_  
_My heart will rest in someone else's hand_  
_My why-not-me philosophy began_  
_And I say_

**_Oh, how am I gonna get over you?            "_ **

 


	2. The Shittiest Night Of Our Lives

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael in the Bathroom but gayer and with more scheming. Also there are slushies

**_Michael_ **

 

“ _He went crazy trying to get it out_!”

The air in the bathroom turned ice cold. Michael could feel his heart beating in his chest rapidly as if he’d drank one can too many of Red Bull. It was hard for him to believe that the boy standing in front of him was the same boy who’d been his best friend since pre-school. Because the Jeremy Heere before him was almost unrecognizable.

“Then I have nothing to worry about. Why would I want that?” The words cut into him, and Michael could feel small cracks forming in his heart. Jeremy looked away from him, jaw set as he moved for the door. Michael moved with him, refusing to let this go. Jeremy was going to end up hurt if he didn’t do something. He just had to make him _listen_. “Move.”

“Or you’ll what?” 

“Get out of my way. _Loser._ ” Michael stared directly into those blue eyes. They were as cold as ice, glaring into Michael’s like he was a bug under his shoe. His chest felt heavy, his heart beginning to ache as it tried to jump from his chest. Holding back thick tears, he moved out of Jeremy’s way silently. The boy brushed past him, purposefully knocking Michael’s shoulder with his own as he left Michael behind. He didn’t even glance back, slamming the door shut. Michael flinched at the sound, letting out a shaky breath. His entire body felt numb as he stared at the wall blankly. He couldn’t think, couldn’t see, hecouldn’tbreathe- **_whycouldn’thebreathe-_ **  

“Hello?!” A sharp knock cut through the air, pulling Michael from his daze. “Some of us have to pee!” 

“I’m having my period!” He called weakly, wanting to slam his face into the wall. Idiot, _absolutefuckingidiot_.

“...Take your time honey.” The voice answered gently, and Michael let out another ragged breath. He needed to sit down. His legs could barely hold him upright, his knees like jelly. He felt around blindly, his hand curling around the cool, porcelain of the bathtub. He guided himself into it, breath coming in short, rapid gasps.

He felt pathetic -he was pathetic- sitting here all by himself. He was in a fucking bathroom at the biggest party of the year, while Jeremy was out there having the time of his life. He’d probably found someone new to hang out with, someone to replace Michael. Like he was some broken toy.

The thought made him begin to shake uncontrollably, his vision narrowing till all he saw was the smooth bottom of the tub, his ears filled with the loud thumping of his still racing heart and some girl singing to a Whitney Houston song outside the door. The type of girl he and Jeremy would usually make fun of…

Michael pulled his knees to his chest, burrowing his head in between them. He was going to be sick, he just knew it. Everything was so loud, _tooloud-_ **_ohgoditwastooloudmakeitstopplease-_**

A sudden, high-pitched shriek made him jump, head snapping up to see-

_Oh, you had to be fucking kidding me right now_ … 

Standing in front of him was Brooke Lohst, in all her glory. She was wearing the skimpiest dog costume he’d ever laid eyes on, with almost everything on display. It was everything a teenage boy could’ve wanted. Except for him. Everything he’d ever wanted had just told him he was a loser and then left him without a second glance.

“What are you doing in here?” Brooke questioned, her voice hollow and broken. It was only then that Michael realized that she was crying. Her usually flawless makeup was coming down her cheeks in streaks, face flushed a depressing shade of red as she stared at him with as much poise as a crying girl in a poodle costume could muster. He stared at her for a minute, trying to get his voice box to work.

“Having the shittiest night of my life.” He answered finally, resting his chin on top of his knees. Brooke slowly raised her hand, wiping at the makeup-stained tear marks on her cheeks.

“Same.” They sat there in silence for a moment, Michael silently debating what to do. Sure he kind of hated Brooke- not only because she was a bully but because she stole Jeremy from him- but she looked as shitty as he felt, which was concerning.

“Do you… do you wanna get in the tub with me?” He asked hesitantly, watching Brooke’s face twist in disgust. He quickly realized how that sounded, clearing his throat in embarrassment. “N-Not like _that_. Just-”

Groaning, he buried his face back in his knees. He wanted the Earth to just open up and swallow him whole, just to get out of this awkward situation. After a few moments, he heard Brooke’s slow footsteps coming closer. Lifting his head, he watched as she lowered herself into the opposite end of the tub carefully. She pulled her almost completely bare legs to her chest, the tags on the collar around her neck jingling quietly as she placed her chin on her knees in a position that mirrored his. 

This was officially simultaneously the worst and weirdest night of his life. 

“Am I ugly or something?” Brooke asked suddenly, making Michael pause. When he didn’t offer a reply, Brooke gazed directly into his eyes with fresh tears already forming. “No, seriously? Like, am I just hideous to look at?”

Michael’s mouth opened and closed quite a few time before he could force the ‘no’ from his throat. Looking dissatisfied, Brooke wiped at her cheek again.

 “Then what is it about me that makes guys want to cheat on me? I don’t get what’s wrong with me.” Her voice broke, fresh tears beginning to fall again. “I try so hard, so fucking hard so that people will like me. I’m beautiful, I’m popular, I’m on the honor roll. But it doesn’t even matter, does it? All anyone is ever going to see me as is ‘Brooke Lohst, second best’. My own supposed ‘best friend’ doesn’t even respect me enough to not screw the guys I’m dating! And I just-”

 Brooke let out an ugly sob, placing a hand over her eyes. Tears continue to slide between her fingertips, the small droplets plopping quietly on to the tub’s white floor.

“I’ve had a crush on my best friend for four years,” He admitted quietly, turning away when Brooke’s green eyes found his. “And tonight, he basically told me that I wasn’t good enough for him anymore. E-Even after all the things we’ve been through. Twelve years of him being my friend- my only friend- and he just throws it all away.”

Michael didn’t take his gaze off the sink, though he could feel Brooke watching him still.

“It’s definitely not the same thing, but it sucks just as much,” He let out a hollow laugh, tears coming down his face even quicker. “Pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Then I guess we’re both pretty pathetic.” She answered, and Michael finally turned to look at her. She gave him a sad smile, sticking out her ‘paw-glove’ clad hand. “Brooke Lohst.”

“Nice to meet you, Brooke,” He shook her hand, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips at the absurdity of the situation. He was in a bathtub, at a party with the second most popular girl at school. “I’m Michael Mell.”

“Nice to meet you, Michael.”

 

_﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌_

 

“I don’t get how this is supposed to help,” Brooke whined, stabbing her straw into her slushie. She looked completely ridiculous in a poodle costume, sat upon the hood of Michael’s shitty 2007 PT Cruiser and holding a bright blue slushie in the 7-11 parking lot at two o’clock in the morning. Michael sat beside her, slurping on his red one like it was the last one he’d ever have. 

“The cold helps to freeze your heart so that you can’t feel any more pain.” Michael joked, shrugging sarcastically. Brooke giggled, taking a hesitant sip of the ice cold drink. “Good?”

“I like Pinkberry better,” She sighed, taking another long sip of the slushie. “But this is okay, for now.” 

“Maybe tomorrow.” Michael hummed, fiddling with his straw. Music was coming from his headphone, the faded sound of Bob Marley helping to fill the comfortable silence between the two.

“Tomorrow?” Brooke questioned, turning to look at him.

“O-Oh, I just kinda assumed- I mean-” Brooke giggled at his flustered expression, nudging him with her arm.

“I would love to hang out with you tomorrow. Not like I have anywhere else to be…” She trailed off quietly, staring at the bright neon sign on the store in front of them for a long while. “Do you…”

“Do I…?”

“Do you think that stupid computer made him cheat on me?” She asked, sounding a little hopeful. It had taken a while to convince Brooke about the SQUIP, mostly because of how ridiculous it sounded, but she'd quickly come around at the slight chance that yet another boyfriend cheating on her hadn't actually been her fault. Michael glanced down at her, straw between his teeth.

“I wouldn’t be surprised. That fucking thing is making Jeremy act all kinds of weird.” Michael's leg began to bounce, sitting still becoming to constricting. “Whoever that person is… it’s not Jeremy. Jeremy- the Jeremy I know- is kind, and funny and smart. I mean, yeah, he’s a bit of a tool sometimes- but he _cares_. He cares so much.”

Brooke blinked at him owlishly.

“You’re so gay it’s not even funny,” Brooke said finally, and Michael couldn’t help the laugh the ripped its way from his throat. Brooke joined in, giggling furiously. And in that moment, they weren’t the school stoner and the second-hottest girl in school. They were just Michael and Brooke, two very gay (bi, in Brooke’s case), very lonely kids who had found someone who understood them just a bit better than everyone else.

“You know what we should do?” Brooke gazed at him mischievously, laughter still bubbling in her throat.

“What?” Michael asked teasingly.

“We should date, just to make them jealous.” Michael looked at her sideways, tilting his head in confusion.

“Brooke, you realize I’m strictly into dudes, right? Like you’re amazing, don’t get me wrong. But you kinda don’t have the right… parts for me.”

Rolling her eyes, the girl slid off the hood of the car, dramatically placing her hands on her hips.

“I know that, silly. I didn’t mean we should actually _date_.” Brooke wrinkled her nose on the word, her tone suggesting she found the whole idea revolting.

“Feeling really flattered here, Lohst.” He said dryly, slurping his drink.

“You know what I mean! I just mean that we should pretend. Make them think we’re dating. Show them how happy we are without them!” Michael considered her words, narrowing his eyes at her suspiciously.

“Do you really think that’ll work?” He asked, considering the girl. She had a determined fire glowing in her green eyes, smirking at him like a wolf closing in on its prey. It was… unsettling to say the least. 

“It worked for Chloe and Jake last year. She fake-dated Dustin Kropp to make him jealous, and they got back together the next month. It’s totally fool-proof!”

Despite Brooke’s confidence, Michael couldn’t help but feel a nervous pit in his stomach. It didn’t sound as simple to him as it probably did to Brooke. She’d dated a bunch of guys (and a girl or two) before, but Michael had only ever loved and wanted one person. He wasn’t sure he could do it. Not with Jeremy probably watching his every move.

_But why would he watch you?_ He asked himself, feeling cold. _He’s made it very clear that he thinks you’re beneath him. So why not make him regret it?_

Looking at Brooke’s expectant face, he nodded firmly.

“I’m in.” He proclaimed determinedly. Brooke squealed loudly, throwing her arms around his neck roughly. Michael paused for a moment, before wrapping his arms around Brooke’s small frame. It felt nice to be hugged like this- like she cared about him. It had been a while since he and Jeremy had done something like that, his heart clenching at the thought. He held onto Brooke tightly for a long while, before pulling back reluctantly.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun!” She giggled, pulling back to smile at him brightly. She brandished her slushie at him proudly. “To our new relationship!”

Michael smirked a little, rolling his eyes in exasperation. 

“To our new relationship.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the shenanigans begin! We've got a lot planned for this story, so buckle your seatbelts kiddos, it's gonna be a bumpy ride. 
> 
> \- Aly and Nik
> 
> CALL US OUT ON ERRORS PLEASE!!! Also If you want to see more of us, check for updates, or just scream at us- come check us out on Tumblr @lovinglohst


	3. Nothing Good Ever Happens At A Mall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael's moms are badass. Two chaos queers take a shopping trip and Jenna Rolan is a fucking s t a l k e r

**_Michael_ **

 

His phone was buzzing.

Even in his half-conscious state, Michael could register that. His tired mind immediately went to Jeremy, who was the only person who could possibly be texting him at such an early (ungodly) hour. Slowly and reluctantly, he pushed the thick covers away from his face and blindly reached out his hand to feel for his phone.

It was only when he finally got a hold of it that he realized he was also missing his glasses if the blurry screen was anything to go by. With a tired groan, he once again reached over to his bedside table, grabbing his glasses and slipping them on.

With his sight restored he could see that the messages were in fact not from Jeremy because, oh yeah, they weren’t friends anymore. Michael pointedly ignored the aching throb his heart made at this realization, instead choosing to focus on the two texts from an unknown number waiting patiently on his home screen (a very cringey picture of him and Jeremy from last year’s Halloween).

**UNKNOWN:** _Morning ‘Boyfriend’ ;)_

**UNKNOWN:** _Got any plans for today?_

Michael did a double take, rereading the messages a few times to be sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

_What the fuck…?_

**ME:** _Who is this?_

It took a few seconds before the three dots indicating the other person was typing popped up, quickly followed by a message.

**UNKNOWN:** _It’s Brooke! Who else would be texting you that lolllllllll_

**UNKNOWN:** _Don’t tell me you have another fake girlfriend_

Michael couldn’t help but smile down at the screen, remembering their scheme from the previous night. After finishing their slushies, Michael had dropped Brooke back at Jake’s so she could get her car (her mother’s, she’d told him after unlocking the dark Cadillac), and then he had stumbled home to crash in his bed.

**ME:** _I have five actually :)_

**BROOKE:** _Haha very funny_

Before Michael could type out a reply assuring her that he was, in fact, a very funny person, there was a knock on his door followed by his mother’s soft voice. “Michael? You awake, honey?”

“Yeah!” He called back just as another text popped up on the screen.

**BROOKE:** _So, plans???_

“Hey, mom? Is it cool if I have a friend over?”

The question seemed to be enough cause for his mom to open the door, poking her head inside his dimly lit room.

“Honey, you know you don’t have to ask if Jeremy can come over, right? He’s practically family at this point.”

Michael hoped the way he flinched at the name wasn’t all that visible and he quickly shook his head. “Not Jeremy, another friend.”

“Another friend?” The surprise in his mom’s voice was almost enough for him to be insulted. Then again, he himself never would have thought he’d be having anyone other than Jeremy coming to his house. Guess things had really changed. 

“Yes mom, I do have those contrary to popular belief.” He replied before adding, “So can she come?”

“ _She_ ?” His mom raised a brow, surprise written all over her face once more before she shook it off, “Sure, _she_ can come over. Though you should probably get dressed first.”

“I will.” He assured her, picking up his phone and typing out a quick text.

**MICHAEL:** _My house in an hour?_

Exactly an hour later the sound of the doorbell rang through the house and Michael got out of his bed in a rush, hoping to answer the door before one of his moms could.

But Michael didn’t seem to be getting much of what he wanted the past few days, as when he ’d made his way down the stairs he was greeted by the sound of his mom’s making small talk with Brooke. 

“There he is! Michael, you didn’t mention that your friend was so pretty!” His Ma teased and Michael did his best to refrain from rolling his eyes.

“Girlfriend, actually.” Brooke corrected, smiling brightly at Michael who had instantly turned bright red at the comment.

“Michael didn’t mention that either.” His Mom said shooting him a look.

“I thought you were gay!” His Ma exclaimed, much more bluntly, never being one for subtleness.

Brooke seemed fairly amused by his mothers and he made a mental note to get back at her for this.

“Okay relax she’s not my girlfriend. I mean she is...but she’s not! I’m still very gay! We’re just….fake dating.” He tried to ignore how lame that sounded while his mothers stared at him in confusion. 

“Fake dating? Why?” He sputtered helplessly at the question, looking over at Brooke to help him. She giggled, crossing the room to stand beside him and give his mothers a warm smile.

“Well you see, Michael is mad at Jeremy and I’m mad at my friend Chloe, so we decided to fake date to make them jealous,” She paused as if realizing she had forgotten something before adding in, “Oh, and the reason we’re mad at them is because we’re kinda in love with them, and they’re both acting like assh-I mean, _jerks_ lately.”

Michael didn’t even bother to hide his grimace at her blunt honesty. He had never spoken to his Moms about his feelings for Jeremy. In fact, he had actually denied being in love with his best friend various times when they had questioned him.  He could already feel the anxiety inching through him but the laughter from his Ma managed to quickly calm his nerves over the whole thing.

“That’s great, good for you two!” She exclaimed, ignoring the look her wife shot her.

“Just be careful.” His Mom cautioned.

_Be careful._ Huh. Michael was pretty sure that being careful wasn’t exactly an option when you were fake dating Brooke Lohst but he nodded anyway to quell her concerns.

“Can we go upstairs now and pretend this horrible conversation, like, never happened?” Michael questioned, already beginning to tug on the sleeve of Brooke’s sweater, inching her towards the stairs.  

“Of course, let us know if you want any snacks.” His Mom responded, her smile sweet as always. His Ma wore a mischievous grin beside her and before she even spoke Michael was mentally facepalming.

“Yeah, or any fake-condoms!” She added in followed by laughter at her own very horrible joke. Michael hoped neither of his mothers saw his bright red face as he grabbed Brooke’s arm and led her upstairs. He pointedly ignored the sound of his Mom disciplining his Ma, who was giggling hysterically, on making improper comments in front of guests behind them. 

“Your moms are awesome!” Brooke said as she plopped down on his bed, smile bright.

“They’re embarrassing.” He corrected her, although deep down he knew his moms were in fact very awesome. “So are you for the record. You didn’t need to tell them everything, especially the part about me being in love with Jeremy.” 

He took a seat beside her, fixing her with a look to which she merely shrugged, “Honesty is very important. Plus, I’m pretty sure just about everybody knows you love him. Well...except maybe him.”   

“I’m not that obvious! And if honesty is so important, why don’t you tell Chloe about your feelings?” He questioned pointedly causing Brooke’s smile to drop, replaced with a playful frown.  

“Touché.”

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” He inquired, watching as she stood up, beginning to look around his messy room. He felt self-conscious all of a sudden, wondering anxiously if he should have tried to clean up more before she came. Jeremy never really minded the clutter, so Michael didn’t bother with cleaning.

“Well, we need to figure out what we’re doing on Monday. I mean people are going to want a story on how we got together. We should also-” She stopped in her tracks staring into the closet that she had just curiously pulled open. “Michael what is this!!!”

“What is what?” He questioned standing up and joining her in front of the closet. It was actually fairly clean, in fact, most of the stuff that probably should have been in there was laying around his room. All that was in there was his clothes.

“I can not walk into school with my boyfriend wearing this stuff. I kinda assumed you had some secretly nice clothes stashed away somewhere! Not all... _this_!”

“Wow, I love it when you flatter me, keep going.” He quipped playfully, too amused by her distress to actually be offended by her comment.

“Michael! This is serious. All you have is a bunch of ratty hoodies and jeans! I mean, is this seriously all you wear?”

“I feel like you don’t want me to say yes...but, yes.” 

Brooke groaned, closing the closet door and leaning against it as if to keep his oh-so-hideous clothes from escaping. “Okay, new agenda. We’re going to the mall. Your wardrobe needs a serious upgrade.”

“What?! Brooke, no. Last time I went to the mall, my best friend left me for a stupid floppy disk in his brain. Nothing good ever happens at the mall!” He argued, crossing his arms defiantly.

Brooke mirrored his position and tilted her head, “Michael. I will fake-break-up with you.”

“Over clothes!?” Michael questioned, laughing in disbelief. His laughter quickly died off under the heat of Brooke’s unrelenting scowl. “Are you serious?”

“Very.”

He sighed glancing around his room in thought, avoiding her scathing eyes. “Fine. But, if I’m going shopping then you’re learning to play video games.”

“Deal.” Brooke grinned excitedly and grabbed his arm, “This is going to be so fun!”  

 

_﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌_

 

Michael didn’t think he’d ever be able to look at jeans in the same way ever again. Brooke must’ve made him try on at least fifty pairs over the course of the past hour, and he wasn’t even going to _mention_ the shirts. All of them were way too preppy for his casual tastes, and too expensive.

“You look great!” Brooke squealed, as he stared at himself in the mirror. The reflection bore no resemblance to Michael Mell, instead looking like an off-brand Jake Dillinger.

“I look like I belong in a really bad porno.” He deadpanned, watching Brooke’s face fall in the mirror.

“You look cool, which is-“

“-Exactly what I don’t want!” Michael turned to look Brooke in the eyes. “Look if this whole thing is going to work, we need to lay down some ground rules. I’m not gonna go changing myself to get people to like me. I’m not like _him_ , I like how I am.”

Brooke considered him for a moment.

“Compromise then? You can wear hoodies or whatever, but none of those fabric scraps you call jeans.” She held out her hand to shake, and Michael took it happily. And with the compromise in place, they finally settled on a few outfits that met both of their standards. With multiple bags hanging from Michael’s arms, the two soon arrived at the food court. Brooke didn’t pause for a moment, leading him straight towards a particular eatery. As they sat in the uncomfortable metal chairs, Michael eyed the yogurt with a critical eye. He’d promised Brooke he’d try it but it just looked so… unappetizing. 

“Just try it.” Brooke urged, already attacking the creamy dessert with her spoon. Michael paused, before obeying. As soon as the yogurt hit his tongue, a million bursts of flavor hit him right away. His eyes widened comically, before eagerly spooning more of the frozen dairy into his mouth.

“I can see why you like this stuff so much.” He moaned, shoveling yet another spoonful of frozen yogurt into his mouth. Brooke simply smirked triumphantly, spooning another bite into her own mouth.

“Pinkberry is, like, the greatest thing to ever exist. It beats pretty much every other frozen food or drinks.” Brooke proclaimed, ignoring the faux-scandalized gasp that escaped from his throat.

“You take that back you _heathen_.” He commanded, brandishing his little spoon at her threateningly. “Slushies beat this any day.”

“Never.” Brooke teased, schooling her features into a solemn frown. There was a split second of silence before the two dissolved into laughter. He didn’t know what it was about Brooke that made this so _easy_. The two of them were practically from different planets- different in every possible way. And yet here they were, laughing over nothing at all. As skeptical as Michael was about their ‘relationship’, he couldn’t imagine a better person to be fake-dating. 

The partially muffled sound of some generic pop song that Michael couldn’t bother to remember cut through their laughter, interrupting their moment. Brooke dug a hand into her purse, pulling out her phone with ease. She glanced curiously at the screen, and her smile fell.

“What?” Michael questioned as she continued to stare at the ringing phone. Lifting himself out of the seat just enough to peek at the screen he saw Chloe’s name in big bold letters, along with a picture of her. Narrowing his eyes, he looked at Brooke’s crestfallen face with determination. “Don’t do it.”

“I know,” Brooke replied unconvincingly, still staring at the screen.

“Don’t you dare answer that phone, Brooke.” He deadpanned, watching her eyes flick up to him for a moment. “You’ll regret it if you do.”

“But-” 

“No buts!” He commanded, watching as she slowly lowered her eyes to the phone again. He could see it clear as day that she wasn’t going to be able to resist answering the phone. Quicker than lightning, Michael snatched the phone from her hands, sending Chloe straight to voicemail.

“Hey! Michael, what the fuck?!” The blonde demanded angrily, trying to reach across the table for her phone. Michael held the device away from her, shoving it in his hoodie pocket swiftly. “Give me my phone!”

“Not until I can trust you not to call her back!” He told her sternly, watching Brooke’s eyes narrow. “Brooke- **_holy fuck!_ ** ”

He hadn’t been expecting her to jump across the table, catching the attention of several shoppers. She knocked him flat on the ground, her legs straddling him on either side as her hands darted for his pocket with a steely determination. He only just barely batted them away, staring up at Brooke with a resolve just as strong. She was so much better than this, and Michael wasn't going to let her lower herself back down to Chloe’s punching bag.

“Brooke will you just- _fucking_ **_chill_ ** _out_!” He yelled, blocking her attempts to steal back her phone. “I didn’t want to have to do this, but you leave me no choice!”

His fingers found her sides rather quickly and Michael felt no remorse as he began to tickle her aggressively. A shrill shriek escaped Brooke as she reflexively began to giggle at Michael’s attacks.

“O _hmygod please stop._ ” Brooke finally got out between her desperate giggles, breathing heavily when Michael slowly removed his fingers. She glared at him playfully, her eyes now full of humor. “Never do that again you dick!” 

“It was for your own good!” He defended, smiling at her goofily. “You’re way too good to go back to Chloe treating you like shit. We’re gonna show her that you deserve better, that _she_ needs to be better. Or else you’re not going back.”

Brooke blinked at him in surprise, before offering him a watery smile.  

“Thanks, Michael… I mean it.”

“Glad I could help! Now can you, uh, get off me please?”

The two of them laughed as Brooke pushed off of him, opting for sitting beside him on the floor, ignoring their abandoned chairs. Neither of them noticing Jenna Rolan sitting a few tables away with a shark-like grin, a phone in hand brandished like a deadly weapon.

  
**JENNA:** _O M G  CHLO ANSWER ME!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are totally posting at 2am. Will this happen frequently? Probably. Will it get worse because we’re starting school soon? Maybe. 
> 
> \- Aly and Nik
> 
> CALL US OUT ON ERRORS PLEASE!!! Also If you want to see more of us, check for updates, or just scream at us- come check us out on Tumblr @lovinglohst or on Instagram @lovinglohst


	4. Betrayal Of The Highest Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Smartphone Hour, but with gay jealousy and a confused furry

**_Chloe_ **

 If there was one thing Chloe Valentine loved, it was gossip. And lucky for her, she had an in with the biggest gossip in the entire school. So when her phone chimed loudly in the silence of her room, she dove for it like a woman starved.

**JENNA ROLAN:** _O M G  CHLO ANSWER ME!_

**ME:** _WHATS UP??_

**ME:** _IS THERE ANY UPDATE ON RICH_

**JENNA ROLAN:** _NO NOT YET I GOT SMTH BETR_  

Chloe was practically vibrating on her bed, ready for more juicy gossip. Some part of her of bitterly wondered if whatever this was would be enough to get Brooke to actually answer her calls. She had even sent the girl the infamous smiley face, lipstick, kitty paw combo to no avail.

**ME:** _WELL_ _SPIT IT OUT ALREADY_

**JENNA ROLAN:** _[photo.jpeg] LOOK WHO I SAW GETTING COSY IN THE MALL JUST NOW_

Chloe stared at the image numbly, her stomach churning with an ugly bitterness. In the photo was Brooke, sitting on the floor in the food court, cuddled up to some guy. Brooke’s face was lit up with a smile that made her entire face glow like a ray of sunshine, one that was pointed at the currently nameless boy next to her. Said boy’s head was half thrown back, the image Jenna got freezing the moment just before an obvious laugh could escape him.

**ME:** _Who the fuck is that?_

**JENNA ROLAN:** _I THINK HIS NAME IS MICHAEL OR WHATEVER. HE’S KINDA A LOSER TBH SO IDK WHY THEY’RE TOGETHER_

Her lips curled into a sneer, anger bubbling in her. Brooke was ignoring _her_ calls so she could cuddle with some no-name loser?! What the fuck?!

**ME:** _Are they still there?_

**JENNA ROLAN:** _NAH, THEY LEFT TOGETHER LIKE TEN MINUTES AGO._

Chloe stared at the screen for a moment before letting out a huff, tossing her phone to the other side of her bed. This was ridiculous. First Brooke decided dating Jeremy-suddenlycool- Heere was a great idea. Now she was going for some random guy just a day after breaking things off with Jeremy? Had she even officially broken things off with Jeremy? None of this made sense. Chloe was the one who went through her boys like issues of Vogue. Not Brooke.

Chloe reached for her phone again, deciding it was better to take action than mope around over this problem. Brooke would just have to come to her senses the hard way.

As soon as she had the phone in her hand she found herself staring at the lock screen, where Brooke and her were smiling at the camera, cups of pinkberry visible in their hands. Suddenly the smile Brooke was brandishing seemed less vibrant than it always had. In comparison to the photo of her with that loser, she seemed a lot less...happy?

Chloe brushed it off with a sigh, quickly unlocking the phone and saving the picture of Michael and Brooke to her camera roll. After that her movements were automatic from many years of exposing the best of the school’s gossip. Sure, Jenna was the one who always found out the dirt, but she usually let Chloe do most of the spreading. Probably had to do with Chloe’s major twitter following.

As she began to type out a tweet with the image attached she hesitated momentarily. Brooke was already mad at her. Hell, even Chloe had been mad at herself when she woke up with a hangover and memories of nearly hooking up with Jeremy just to get back at Jake ~~and Brooke~~. It was desperate and Chloe hated coming off as desperate.

It _had_ gotten things done though. Jake was back to fawning over her for the most part, thoughts of Christine long forgotten. Brooke on the other hand…

_Since when was she so unpredictable?_

With a frustrated groan, Chloe pushed all the thoughts away, typing out the tweet blithely. She would deal with the fall out and she would make sure Brooke was back by her side by lunch tomorrow. She had to. Brooke was all she _really_ had after all.

 

**Chloe Valentine** _@chlovalentine • 1s_

W O W! Congrats to @brookeislosht for scraping the LITERAL bottom of the barrel. #realclassy #soproud

_[photo.jpeg]_

**_0_ ** _Comments_ **_1_ ** _Retweet_ **_7_ ** _Likes_

 

She stared blankly at the tweet as it began to immediately collect likes and retweets, her phone beeping eagerly with each one. She was torn between feeling pride and disgust. Disgust, because here she was again, knowingly hurting her best friend. Pride because: she was good at this.

Somehow knowing that just seemed to cycle things right back into the disgust.

 

**Chloe Valentine** _@chlovalentine • 3m_

W O W! Congrats to @brookeislosht for scraping the LITERAL bottom of the barrel. #realclassy #soproud

_[photo.jpeg]_

**_15_ ** _Comments_ **_176_ ** _Retweets_ **_344_ ** _Likes_  

 

 

> **Dust Kropp** _@dustinkroppp • 3m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _dAmn the nerd is getting it_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_2_ ** _Retweets_ **_10_ ** _Likes_
> 
>  
> 
> **Lia Watson** _@watsonamelia • 3m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _Ew gross, I thought B had standards :///_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_1_ ** _Retweets_ **_4_ ** _Likes_
> 
>  
> 
> **Nate Smith** _@thenatesmith • 3m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _So she gets with him but not me? Woooowww #offended #hatethisschool #transferingout_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_8_ ** _Retweets_ **_22_ ** _Likes_
> 
>  
> 
> **Yolanda Sitwell** _@yoyoyolanda • 3m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _I’m kinda digging it! They seem happy together!!!!_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_0_ ** _Retweets_ **_1_ ** _Like_
> 
>  
> 
> **Jared Kruger** _@krugeriswatching • 2m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _I don’t approve._
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_0_ ** _Retweets_ **_0_ ** _Likes_
> 
>  
> 
> **Lauren Rays** _@laurenrays • 2m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _Who’s the guy? He’s like totally hot????!!!!_
> 
> **_1_ ** _Comment_ **_6_ ** _Retweets_ **_15_ ** _Likes_

> **Jenna Rolan** _@jenrolan • 2m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine @brookeislohst and @laurenrays_
> 
> _His name is Michael Mell ;)_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_18_ ** _Retweets_ **_46_ ** _Likes_
> 
>  
> 
> **Madeline Reynolds** _@thatfrenchgirl • 2m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _Looks like Brooke is growing some taste. He’s kinda out of her league though tbh_
> 
> **_3_ ** _Comments_ **_2_ ** _Retweets_ **_10_ ** _Likes_
> 
> **Joe Hubert** _@joeeehubert • 1m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine @brookeislohst and @thatfrenchgirl_
> 
> _no way. brooke is out of everyone’s league not the other way ‘round._
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_0_ ** _Retweets_ **_4_ ** _Likes_
> 
> **Alexander Lewis** _@alexlewis • 1m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine @brookeislohst and @thatfrenchgirl_
> 
> _wonder if the nerd scored the way JakeyD did with you ;))_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_1_ ** _Retweet_ **_7_ ** _Likes_
> 
> **Madeline Reynolds** _@thatfrenchgirl • 1m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine @brookeislohst and @alexlewis_
> 
> _Shut up._
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_0_ ** _Retweets_ **_1_ ** _Like_
> 
>  
> 
> **Jorge Saladbar** _@jorgesaladbar • 1m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _That Michael dude is  h o t_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_1_ ** _Retweet_ **_4_ ** _Likes_
> 
>  
> 
> **Zoe Jefferson** _@zoejefferson • 1m_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _Can't believe she’s hanging out with that loser. Heard he’s a stoner :/_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_4_ ** _Retweets_ **_13_ ** _Likes_
> 
>  
> 
> **Jeremy Heere** _@heereiam • 50s_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine and @brookeislohst_
> 
> _???????????????????????$_
> 
> **_1_ ** _Comment_ **_0_ ** _Retweets_ **_2_ ** _Likes_
> 
> **Jeremy Heere** _@heereiam • 33s_
> 
> _Replying to @chloevalentine @brookeislohst and @heereiam_
> 
> _*?_
> 
> **_0_ ** _Comments_ **_0_ ** _Retweets_ **_0_ ** _Likes_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> JEREMY IS FINALLY HEERE!!!!! This is like a week or two late but we did warn you about school! But we've settled on an update schedule that we will most likely stick with. We'll be posting every other Monday (so twice a month). The chapters will most likely increase in length, and varying point a view will be a frequent thing in this story! See you next time kiddos!
> 
> \- Aly and Nik
> 
> CALL US OUT ON ERRORS PLEASE!!! Also If you want to see more of us, check for updates, or just scream at us- come check us out on Tumblr @lovinglohst or on Instagram @lovinglohst


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